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Facing Change

Ki Tetze 5778 / 25 August 2018

August 28, 2018

I am fascinated by parashat Ki Tetze, in part because I’m never quite sure what to make of it. The book of Devarim opens with Moses’ recap of earlier events, with some interesting twists of hindsight, before shifting into his moral guidance for Israelites about to launch their own society – without his help. It will end with a stunning poem and beautiful parting blessings. And here, sandwiched in the middle, comes Ki Tetze with its litany of seventy-two commandments, the largest single collection of mitzvot in the Torah. Some of these mitzvot restate commandments we have seen earlier, often adding details about implementation or consequences for transgression, while others present new information. The two categories mix and overlap, and leaving the commentaries to parse out which are which. Still, it’s hard to understand – what do all of these mitzvot have to do with the rest of Devarim, and why do they appear right here?

The most distinctive literary feature of parashat Ki Tetze, and its companion portion next week, Ki Tavo, is its repeated use of the Hebrew word כי. In its context here, כי has a meaning somewhere between “when” and “if;” the word frames a type of mitzvah that depends on some other circumstance or condition coming into play. If you have two sons by different wives, you may not give preference to the younger over the older.[1] If you build a house with a flat roof, you must put up a protective fence.[2] If you make a sacred vow, you must fulfill it without delay.[3] These mitzvot call our attention to the way circumstances around us, beyond our control, affect our lives. They ask for thoughtful consideration of new and emerging situations, a sensitivity to change. And they show up here, toward the end of Devarim, just our ancestors prepare for the most sweeping change since the Exodus itself.

Never mind the popular image of the Israelites “wandering” in the desert; they didn’t move all that often. After forty years living in the wilderness, these Israelites are a completely new generation. They have grown up camping in and around Sinai, making slow progress up toward the Jordan valley. What their parents found strange, frightening, unnerving about life after the Exodus are, for this generation, perfectly normal. Now all of that is about to change. Any day now Moses will wrap up his farewell addresses and they will cross the river into the Promised Land. They will do so without Moses, the only leader they have ever known.  And they will face the task of building a stable, just society in a settled homeland instead of temporary encampments.

The circumstantial mitzvot of parashat Ki Tetze serve to prepare the Israelites: change is coming. You will live through unprecedented events, find yourself living in new and unfamiliar situations. You might feel nervous about this, scared even. You might wonder if you have what it takes to succeed. You might fear the new reality will not live up to your expectations. That’s ok. Feel those feelings. Know that change is coming. Trust that, in and amid and through the turmoil of change, you will find a way to make things right. A way to build, to set up a new normal and continue your life.

Like all things in Torah, the implicit message behind these mitzvot speaks to us as much as it ever spoke to our ancestors. Did anything even moderately significant change in your life this week? Anything new? Unexpected? We experience change all the time, weekly if not daily. Big changes, small changes. Sometimes we’re happy with the change, sometimes not so much. Sometimes – often? – change brings up a mix of conflicting emotions. We take some changes better than we take others. The change is what we expected, it’s not what we expected, it exceeds our expectations. New experiences, new relationships, new challenges and opportunities.

Even change we seek out can be uncomfortable – and more often than not, we weren’t looking to change things in the first place. This week’s Torah portion reminds us that change is constant – and that’s ok. It can scare us – and that’s ok. We might lose some sleep – and that’s ok too. Others, all the way back to the ancient Israelites, have been through this before. They faced change, adversity, new and unknown circumstances, and thrived. We, too, will grow and thrive through the changes in our lives, big and small. It won’t always be pleasant, it won’t always be easy – although sometimes, when we catch a good break, it will be. But come what may, individually and in community with others, we have been graced with the strength to face whatever may come.


[1] Deut. 21:15-17.

[2] Deut. 22:8.

[3] Deut. 23:22-24.

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